


Beginnings

by memorizingthedigitsofpi



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, Banter, F/M, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18470545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memorizingthedigitsofpi/pseuds/memorizingthedigitsofpi
Summary: Eudora Patch is top of their class at the Police Academy, but Diego Hargreeves can still run rings around her on the track.





	Beginnings

"Eudora!"

Eudora rolled her eyes and sped up as she continued her daily quest for a new personal best time on the mile. She was out there on the track, rain or shine, every evening at 7:00pm and unfortunately everyone knew it. 

"Hey! Wait up!"

Despite her determination and extra spurt of speed, he caught up to her easily. Damn it. And he wasn't even winded! 

"What is it, Hargreeves?" she asked, slowing down. Putting her hands on her hips, she did her best not to look like she was breathing hard. As she turned to look at him, she had to shield her eyes from the setting sun with one hand. It also conveniently stopped the sweat from dripping down her forehead. 

"You can call me Diego, you know."

He flashed her the kind of grin that had made her classmates swoon back in high school when they'd collected teen mags with his picture on them and posted them up in their rooms. 

"I know," she nodded. Then she raised an eyebrow at him expectantly. 

She was mildly gratified when he dropped the grin and turned more serious. She liked being taken seriously. Her classmates at the Academy were starting to realize it. 

"I uh- I w-was w-wonder-wondering-" He frowned and cleared his throat.

She tilted her head a bit to see him more clearly. With the light of the sun behind him it was impossible to be sure, but he almost looked like he was blushing!

"I was wondering if we could study together," he said.

It came out slowly and deliberately, and his whole face had a kind of focus that she didn't usually see. He spent so much of his time laughing and joking around, she'd wondered if he had a serious bone in his body. 

"Study what?" she asked. She was slightly suspicious. Most of the time when a guy asked her to study with him, it was a way to get her alone on a couch so he could make a move. They found out pretty quickly whether she was into them or not. 

"I'm fine with the physical stuff. It's the academics that mess me up."

It was her turn to blush now. She was 100% certain that Diego was "fine with the physical stuff." She'd heard enough stories about him, after all. 

"You  _are_ a superhero, after all," she pointed out. She had his action figure on a shelf in her bedroom back home. "If you  _weren't_ fine with that, I'd be surprised." His grin came back, and she told herself firmly that her heart was beating that fast because of her run. 

Her mind worked quickly, as it always did, and she realized this was a golden opportunity. 

"I'll help you with the academics, if you can help me run a faster mile." The grin ticked up a notch and so did her heartbeat. "I'm on the track every night at 7:00 and-"

"I know."

There was that look from the teen magazine again. The soulful eyes that made every girl in the world think he was looking just at  _her_. 

She ignored it. 

"And I study from 8 til 10."

The soulful eyes got wide, and she grinned. 

"You don't get top of class without putting in the work, you know," she pointed out.

Diego put up his hands in surrender and chuckled. "Alright, that's fair. So when do we start?"

"We're already here."

The way he licked his lips when he looked at her made her stomach flip over, but she kept her face as rock steady as she could. The last thing in the world she needed was Hargreeves knowing she had a crush on him. He'd be completely insufferable if he knew. 

And so would everyone else. 

"Alright, Patch. Just try to keep up."

"Try to stop me, Hargreeves."

He laughed as he jogged out ahead of her, but she was the one with the last laugh. If there was anything that was going to motivate her to beat her personal best time? It was definitely that cute butt. 


End file.
